LGBT Rights in Nigeria - Living Conditions

Living Conditions

Public hostility to homosexual relations is widespread in this largely conservative country.

Eighteen men were arrested in August 2007 by Bauchi state police and charged with "addressing each other as women and dressing themselves as women, which is illegal under the Shari'a penal code". They were originally charged with sodomy, but the charges were later changed to vagrancy. As of the end of 2009, the trial of the men had been postponed numerous times, with five of the men released on bail and the remaining 13 in jail. By the end of 2010, all the men had been released on bail but no final resolution of the case had been reached by the end of 2011.

On 12 September 2008, four newspapers published the names, addresses, and photographs of the twelve members of the House of Rainbow Metropolitan Community Church, a LGBT-friendly church in Lagos. As a result, some members were threatened, stoned, and beaten. One woman was attacked by 11 men. As of the end of 2010, no action had been taken against the perpetrators. During 2011, church members and the clergy received threatening e-mails, telephone calls, and letters from unknown persons. The church and partner groups cancelled conferences on sexual rights and health scheduled for Lagos and Abuja in December because of concerns about the safety of conference attendees after the proposed Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) bill refocused negative attention on the Church.

Some organizations in Nigeria try to assist LGBT persons, such as the Metropolitan Community Churches. Attendance at church meetings, however, is risky.

The U.S. Department of State's 2011 Human Rights Report found,

Because of widespread societal taboos against homosexuality, very few persons openly revealed their orientation. The ... Global Rights and The Independent Project provided lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) groups with legal advice and training in advocacy, media responsibility, and HIV/AIDS awareness. Organizations such as the Youths 2gether Network also provided access to information and services on sexual health and rights for LGBT persons, sponsored programs to help build skills useful in social outreach, and provided safe havens for LGBT individuals. The government and its agents did not impede the work of these groups during the year.